Golf putter



P 1968 c. A. BURKLAND 3,399,898

GOLF PUTTER Filed Oct.

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United States Patent 3,399,898 GOLF PU'ITER Carl A. Burkland, 1574Jordan Drive 8., Salem, Oreg. 97302 Filed Oct. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 401,0562 Claims. (Cl. 273164) The present invention is concerned with animprovement in golf putters, that is a golf club for putting the golfball on the greens of a golf course into the hole thereof.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a golfputter having a true dynamic balance enabling a golfer using aconventional stance and swing, that is, across the front of the body ofthe user, to obtain a true pendulum swing of the putter to moreaccurately address the ball and thereby aid in directing the ball in thedesired direction across the green to the hole therein.

A further and important object of the invention is to provide a golfputter having a putting face which is a true plane extending normal tothe axis of the putter head and parallel to the axis of the putter shaftand which shaft axis extends in a longitudinal plane of said head closerto the putting head than rear face of said head providing an extendedportion of said head on the side of said shaft opposite to the puttinghead and with a straight edge or raised portion of said head extendingin the same axis along the top of said head to conduce the user toobtain a more pin-point address to the ball providing greater accuracyin putting the ball than is obtained with known putters.

Further objects of the invention will be in part obvious and in partpointed out in the following detailed descrip tion of the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a golf putter according to the presentinvention and on a reduced scale to the remaining figures.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1, but on alarger scale.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the lower portion of said putter.

FIG. 4 is a side view taken from the right of FIG. 1 of the lowerportion of said putter.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the lower portion of a modified form ofthe putter.

FIG. 6 is a top view of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a front elevation of the putter lower portion of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of the lower portion of the putter taken fromthe right of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the lower portion of a third form of thepresent putter.

FIG. 10 is a top view of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a front elevation of the putter lower portion of FIG. 9.

And FIG. 12 is a side view of the putter lower portion taken from theright of FIG. 9.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing in whichlike and corresponding parts are designated by similar referencecharacters, numeral 1 refers to a tapered shaft of wood or metal, solidor tubular and having a handle 2 provided by a band wrapped around thetop end portion of said shaft.

A metal putter head is shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, inclusive generallydesignated by the numeral 3 and which head has a square cross-sectionalconfiguration of the same size throughout its length. A tapered recess 4is provided in the top of said head with the bottom end portion of saidshaft inserted therein and retained by conventional means such as aforce fit, welding or cooling said shaft and said head prior to assemblyand then allowing to return to room temperature. The axis of said shaftis normal to ice the longitudinal axis of said head and thus extends ina longitudinal plane of said head.

Head 3 due to its square cross-sectional configuration has a straightlongitudinally extending top corner 5 which extends diametrically of theaxis of shaft 1 and also has flat top faces 6 and 7 on opposite sides ofcorner 5. Said head further has straight longitudinally extendingdiametrically opposite side corners 8 and 9 with flat bottom faces 10and '11 extending from corners 8 and 9 respectively to a straightlongitudinally extending bottom corner 12. The putting face 13 of saidhead is milled to provide a fiat face 13 extending normal to the axis ofsaid head and a flat rear face 14 also normal to said head axis.

The putter of FIGS. 5 to 8 inclusive also has a shaft 15 similar toshaft 1, fixedly attached to a head 16 which has a hexagonalcross-section of the same size throughout its length resulting in astraight longitudinally extending top corner 17 from which extend flattop sides 18- and 19. A flat longitudinally extending side 21 isparallel to the axis of shaft v15 and extends between straightlongitudinally extending side corners 20 and 22. Top side 19 extends toa straight longitudinally extending side corner 23.

Said head 16 has a recess 24 into which extends an end of shaft 15 whichis retained therein in the manner of shaft 1 in head 3.

A second fiat longitudinally extending side 25 extends between corner 23and a straight longitudinally extending side corner 26. Flatlongitudinally extending bottom sides 27 and 28 extend between corners26 and 22 respectively to a straight longitudinally extending bottomcorner 29 diametrically opposite top corner 17. Sides 18, 19, 21, 25, 27and 28 are all of the same width and each of the same width throughouttheir length.

Head 16 further has a smooth flat putting face 30 normal to the axis ofsaid head and thus parallel to the axis of shaft 15 and also a flat rearface 31 normal to the head axis.

The putter of FIGS. 9 to 12 inclusive likewise has a shaft 32 similar toshaft 1 and a true cylindrical head 33 of the same diameter throughoutits length with a smooth flat putting face 34 normal to the axis of saidhead 33 and a flat rear face 35 also normal to said head axis.

Head 33 has a recess 36 into which extends an end portion of shaft 36 inthe same manner as shaft 1 in head 3 and similarly attached thereto. Theaxis of shaft 32 is perpendicular to the axis of head 33 and a raisedstraight bead 37 is integral with the top of said head and extendslongitudnially thereof and diametrically of the axis of shaft 32 therebybeing normal to putting face 34.

Shafts 1, 15 and 32 are positioned on heads 3, 16 and 33 respectivelycloser to the putting face 13, 30 and 34 respectively than to the rearfaces 14, 31 and 35 respectively. In fact, it is important to positionsaid shafts about one-third of the length of the putting head from thehead putting face.

As an example of a putter according to the present invention shaft 1 isa tubular steel tapered shaft with a leather wrapping providing handle2. Head 3 is a steel bar three inches long and a square cross-sectionwith each face 6, 7, 10 and 11 being one inch wide along their length.Recess 4 has its axis spaced one inch from putting face 13 leaving aspace of two inches between said recess axis and rear face 14.

Shafts 15 and 32 can be similar to shaft 1, while head 16 can also be athree inch long steel bar of hexagonal cross-section and corners 17, 20,22, 29, 26 and 23 located on a circle having a one inch diameter and theaxis of shaft 15 located one inch from putting face 30.

Likewise shaft 32 can be similar to shaft 1 and head 33 can be acylindrical steel rod three inches long with a one inch diameter and theaxis of shaft 32 located one inch from putting face 34.

steel, copper, aluminum, solid or tubular or wood and said heads of ametal other than steel.

In the use of the present putters, the user grasps handle 2 and swingsthe shaft 1, 15 or 32 in the manner of a pendulum in a short are acrossthe lower front of the users body striking the golf ball with puttingface 13, 30 or 34. However, before putting, the user addresses the ballby placing said putting face alongside the ball and lines up the edge or17 or bead 37 with the hole to which the ball is to be directed and theuser then swings the head 3, 16 or 33 in an arc, maintaining the headtop edge or bead in line with the ball and hole whereby an accurate shotof the ball to the hole can be obtained.

With two-thirds of the weight of the head 3, 16 or 33, being behind theattached shaft a true pendulum swing of the putter is obtained and thisis aided by the putting face 13, 30 or 34 being parallel to the axis ofits shaft 1, or 32 respectively in directing the ball to the hole.

The present invention is capable of considerable modification and suchchanges thereto as come within the scope of the appended claims isdeemed a part thereof.

I claim:

1. A golf putter comprising a shaft, a metal head of a squarecross-sectional configuration of the same size throughout the length ofsaid head and having four equal longitudinally extended sides and edgeswith each edge being at the meeting point of an adjacent pair of saidsides, a flat putting face normal to the longitudinal axis of said headand a flat rear end face and said shaft being fixedly connected to saidhead at a position on said head one-third the length of said head fromsaid putting face with at least one of said edges of said head beingcoplanar with the axis of said shaft and said shaft axis'extendingnormal to the axis of said head.

2. A golf putter comprising a shaft, a metal head of a hexagonalcross-sectional configuration of the same size throughout the length ofsaid head and having six equal longitudinally extended sides and edgeswith each edge being at the meeting point of an adjacent pair of saidsides, a flat putting face normal to the longitudinal axis of said headand a fiat rear end face and said shaft being fixedly connected to saidhead at a position on said head about one-third the length of said headfrom said putting face with at least one of said edges of said headbeing coplanar with the axis of said shaft and said shaft axis extendingnormal to the axis of said head.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,260,525 7/1966 Ortel 273--77 D.27,732 10/1897 Adams 273 167 2,665,909 1/ 1954 Wilson 27380 2,803,0888/1957 Swann 4626 2,932,515 4/1960 May 273-801 FOREIGN PATENTS 25,5641905 Great Britain. 8,336 1906 Great Britain. 10,497 1907 Great Britain.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

R. I. APLEY, Assistant Examiner.

1. A GOLF PUTTER COMPRISING A SHAFT, A METAL HEAD OF A SQUARECROSS-SECTIONAL CONFIGURATION OF THE SAME SIZE THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OFSAID HEAD AND HAVING FOUR EQUAL LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDED SIDES AND EDGESWITH EACH EDGE BEING AT THE MEETING POINT OF AN ADJACENT PAIR OF SAIDSIDES, A FLAT PUTTING FACE NORMAL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID HEADAND A FLAT REAR END FACE AND SAID SHAFT BEING FIXEDLY CONNECTED TO SAIDHEAD AT A POSITION ON SAID HEAD ONE-THIRD THE LENGTH OF SAID HEAD FROMSAID PUTTING FACE WITH AT LEAST ONE OF SAID EDGES OF SAID HEAD BEINGCOPLANAR WITH THE AXIS OF SAID SHAFT AND SAID SHAFT AXIS EXTENDINGNORMAL TO THE AXIS OF SAID HEAD.